Sultan Hassan Mosque Cairo "History & Architecture"

Sultan Hassan Mosque Mightiness

Sultan Hassan Mosque’s importance lies in being one of the most beautiful Islamic structures in the world due to its ability to combine a multiplicity of enchanting decorations in the finest manner. It is considered to be the best example of early Mamluk architecture in Cairo as it was built by Sultan Hassan between 1356 A.D and 1363 A.D.

Sultan Hassan Mosque is quite massive as it is 150 M in length and covers 7,906 SQM inland, plus its walls are 36 M tall. It’s rumored that the construction was so costly and expensive, that it nearly emptied the Mamluk Treasury! It’s the most expensive mosque in Medieval Cairo as the builders even used stones from the Giza Pyramids.

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Sultan Hassan Mosque Location and Map

Sultan Hassan mosque is located at El Darb El-Ahmar, El Khalifa, Cairo Governorate and so close to Al Rifai mosque & Cairo citadel.

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Sultan Hassan Mosque and Its Systematic Style of Building

A great part of Sultan Hassan Mosque’s history is portrayed in the style of the building! Sultan Hassan Mosque’s style of architecture is absolutely incredible as it was designed in the form of a Madrassa (school) and it resembles a cruciform. The decorations are famous for being very well-organized and systematic in the most elegant manner. The mosque has a central open courtyard, in the middle of which is a breathtaking ablutions fountain that was probably installed during the Ottoman era.

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Sultan Hassan Mosque on the Inside and Out

The central courtyard is surrounded by four great Liwans (teaching areas). Behind each Iwan is a madrasa, complete with its own courtyard and four floors of chambers for both students and teachers. Also, each Liwan is dedicated to the teaching of four main Sunni schools of jurisprudence which are Hanafi, Malaki, Hanbali, and Shafi’i. The marble mihrab in it is designed with detailed geometric decoration in marble mosaic.

Its dome was supported on stalactite pendentives that look very enchanting during the morning time. It was designed to face Mecca, so the prayers faced the mausoleum every time they prayed which is considered to be very usual. Many tourists may confuse it with the Al-Rifai Mosque which was an imitation of this mosque.

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Sultan Hassan Mosque Two Minarets as a Presentation for Islamic Art

Hearing about the exclusive beauty of the mosque should not catch you off guard anymore. However, with the mosque’s nowadays two minarets, still make the visitors’ breaths hitch in their throats! Sultan Hassan Mosque’s two minarets are a part of the sultan’s royal mausoleum oriented in southeastern the mosque. The one minaret towards the South owns the credit of being the most massive minaret following the Mamluk style of building.

This one has its primitive form still unscathed; sound and untouched. The second minaret, the one to the North, was brought to life twice. Its original design fell down in 1659. Then came the nowadays form of the minaret to take the lead in 1671-72. The second minaret insanely stands out for its double-headed peak! The two minarets can be classified as the cherry on top of the history of Sultan Hassan Mosque.

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Sultan Hassan Mosque and Its Northern Façade

Sultan Hassan Mosque and its northern façade is a principal step the mosque took toward its renaissance. The façade of the mosque covers an estimated space of 145 meters long and 38 meters high, which is among the main information about Sultan Hassan Mosque! Swinging back and forth between two main types of building materials, the mosque’s façade consists of marble and stone.

They’re linked together towards the end with cornice decorations at the top. The façade also appears dressed in 9 tiers of polished muqarnas to reveal an exquisite form of a honeycomb! Included also among the façade details is a breathtaking gate. The gate hovers over the travelers in a way it got it to be selected among the most elite and massive entrances for Islamic construction all over Egypt.

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Sultan Hassan As A Mausoleum

Sultan Hassan constructed a mausoleum for himself behind the largest Liwan. The mausoleum features amazing Islamic art on its walls and is paneled with colored stone and marble. The upper parts hold decorations that consist of an inscription based on Quranic verses in the “Kufic” script on a floriated background. The style is rarely seen and, also, contains the marble mihrab and the Minbar. The mausoleum was beautifully decorated as the door is made of bronze and decorated with radiating stars in gold and silver!

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After the Death of the Sultan Hassan

Grieving the sultan’s death is one thing, and enhancing his mosque after passing away is completely another! After the death of Sultan Hassan, a new era of renaissance was welcomed in the Sultan Hassan Mosque’s history. Taking the charge of the mosque’s building process after the sultan passed away in AH 762 / AD 1361, Bashir al-Jamdar helped with the remaining needed procedures to introduce the mosque to the public as one solid piece. Which is a thing that might come as a secret among the Sultan Hassan Mosque’s secrets for some, and a widespread fact for others.!

The touches added by Bashir al-Jamdar can be traced in the mosque’s made-out-of-marble revetment wall as well as floors. Other touches are found in the fountain’s dome of the mosque’s spacious courtyard. Two marvelous doors’ leaves hung on copper doors are other touches, that now can be spotted in Al-Mu'ayyad Sheikh Mosque!

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Sultan Hassan Mosque and Tourism in Egypt

Tourism in Egypt has an imposing rank among other countries. Egypt has always managed to fit all the dream adventures the travelers associated with their vacation in more than one way! Sultan Hassan Mosque with a title like “The building whose gate comes as the hugest among the other Egypt’s Islamic constructions”, made a series of travelers build determined plans and set-on-stone tours to track the mosque’s wealth.

However, the mosque is not all about that head-turning title. Further, it’s about the inside details, the essence and value that the mosque holds and travelers cannot get enough of even with hours of exploring. Sultan Hassan Mosque is one structure that showcases the Islamic visual arts in a classic and modern way with a glorious aura in its details that make travelers come back for more! In fact, all the previously-mentioned information is noteworthy facts about Sultan Hassan Mosque more than the mosque’s role in paving the way for tourism in Egypt!

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Conclusion

Our agency has had fingers pointed at it since 2004 as a symbol of luxury and pleasure. The engraved signature we left in the tourism field is for the extraordinary aspects of entrainment and tunes of civilization we display. Old Cairo has the fairest share of attention from travelers. So, we have been careful with every step taken while planning for a trip to guarantee a total fulfillment of all their desires. And of course, our offered fabulous trips to Cairo from Hurghada are filled with magnificent services and pure comfort!